Intended Parents

10 Questions to Ask After a Failed IVF Cycle

After investing time, effort and hope into IVF, a negative outcome leaves individuals and couples asking, “What now?”

Asking your doctor the right questions about your fertility challenges can offer valuable insights into why past IVF attempts may have failed. With clear information, you can better understand your options—whether that’s further IVF, surrogacy, or egg and embryo donation—and confidently choose the path forward that aligns with your goals.

If you’re unsure of which path to take after a failed IVF cycle, fill out our online contact form to speak with a professional about your options.

To help you get the answers you need, we’ve compiled a list of questions to ask your fertility doctor after a failed IVF cycle.

10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor After a Failed IVF Cycle

It’s important to come prepared with questions after failed IVF that could uncover hidden factors. Understanding why your IVF cycle failed is often the first step in deciding how to move forward. Ask your doctor to walk you through potential reasons for the failure. This could include issues with egg quality, sperm quality, embryo development, or the uterine environment.

Sometimes, the reason for a failed IVF cycle is an underlying medical condition that hasn’t yet been addressed. Conditions such as endometriosis, immune disorders or chromosomal abnormalities can affect the success of IVF. It\'s important to ask if additional tests could help rule out any overlooked factors.

The world of fertility treatments is constantly evolving. There may be new diagnostic tests, procedures, or medications that weren’t considered in your previous cycle. Asking questions after failed IVF related to these new advancements can provide additional insight. Genetic screening of embryos, advanced hormonal testing or endometrial receptivity analysis could help identify factors that may improve your chances.

If you’re considering another IVF cycle, ask about any modifications that could improve the outcome. This could involve adjusting your medication protocol, changing how embryos are cultured, or exploring alternative methods for egg retrieval. Each failed cycle provides information that can be used to refine your approach.

IVF isn’t always successful, and it’s important to consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of continuing with more cycles. Discuss with your doctor the realistic success rates for future cycles given your specific situation. Comparing the likelihood of success with IVF to options like surrogacy can help you make a decision.

Financial considerations play a big role in family planning, especially when it comes to fertility treatments. Ask your doctor to outline the estimated costs of additional IVF cycles and compare them to the costs of alternatives such as surrogacy or adoption. This will help you weigh the financial impact of your next steps.

If you decide to stop pursuing IVF, it’s important to discuss other paths to parenthood with your doctor. Asking questions after failed IVF regarding other options can help you feel more confident in your next steps. Surrogacy, embryo donation and egg donation are all options that might be viable alternatives. A fertility specialist can provide information on how to transition smoothly from IVF to another family-building method.

Surrogacy might be the right option if repeated IVF failures are linked to uterine issues or other factors that prevent pregnancy. If your embryos are healthy, but the transfer repeatedly fails, it could be time to discuss surrogacy as an alternative. Your doctor can help you understand if and when this option should be considered.

It\'s important to ask questions after failed IVF about the next steps. If you decide to pursue surrogacy, your fertility clinic may work with surrogacy agencies to help guide you through the process. Ask your doctor for referrals, resources and information on what to expect as you move forward.

Before making any decisions, reviewing your entire IVF journey with your doctor can help you understand what worked and what didn’t. This overview can shed light on patterns or key details that may have been overlooked. Use this conversation to gather insights that could shape your future decisions.

Choosing Surrogacy After Repeated IVF Failure

For many, surrogacy can be an alternative path to parenthood after repeated IVF failures. Surrogacy involves a gestational carrier who carries and delivers a baby for you, using your own embryos or donor embryos. Potential surrogates go through extensive medical screenings including:

Self-disclosed medical, social and drug history.
Reviewing of official medical records and birth records.
A complete medical workup to check blood type, hormone levels, pap smear, uterine check, STD testing and more.
Drug testing and blood work to test for infectious disease for both the surrogate and their spouse.

If your embryos are healthy but implantation issues persist, or if there are concerns about your uterine environment, surrogacy can give you the chance to finally become a parent.

Surrogacy can be especially helpful in cases where:

Previous pregnancy losses have occurred due to complications.
Uterine abnormalities or medical conditions prevent carrying a pregnancy to term.
Repeated IVF cycles result in healthy embryos, but implantation fails.

It’s worth discussing surrogacy with your fertility specialist to understand whether this could be a good fit for your situation. They can provide guidance on how to begin the surrogacy process, connect you with surrogacy agencies, and explain the next steps to take.

Surrogacy offers the opportunity to maintain a genetic link to your child and can be a way to overcome the challenges of infertility.

Contact a professional now

Preparing for Your Consultation

Once you’ve compiled your list of questions to ask after failed IVF transfer, it’s important to prepare for your next consultation with your fertility doctor. Here are a few tips:

Bring a Support System
Whether it’s your partner, a close friend, or a family member, having someone with you can help absorb information and provide emotional support.
Take Notes
Writing down the answers to your questions can help you process the information later and ensure you don’t forget any details.
Request Detailed Explanations
Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification if medical terms or procedures are unclear.
Discuss Emotional Support
Failed IVF cycles can take a toll on your mental and emotional health. Ask your doctor about counseling services or support groups available to you.

Finding the Right Path Forward

A failed IVF cycle doesn’t mean the end of your family-building journey. Whether you choose to continue with IVF, explore surrogacy, the right questions to ask after a failed IVF cycle will empower you to make informed decisions about your next steps.

To learn more about additional questions to ask after a failed IVF cycle or to speak with a professional about surrogacy, fill out our online contact form now.